I think low gas prices are making it harder to sell, regardless of tax credits. Here in the Denver area there are many stations with gas at $2.15/gallon
Less than 10 minutes ago I was speaking with Michigan Congressperson Debbie Dingell, who was out and about at a nearby farmers market. She promised to fight to keep California's right to control their (and the allied ZEV states') automotive emissions rules.
I was curious about this too -- I compared MSRPs of several Honda vehicles on the Japanese Honda site vs the US one. American MSRPs are generally considerably lower than Japanese ones, although my percentages are slightly inflated because the Japanese site lists prices after taxes and the American prices are just the base price of the vehicle -- Fit S - 3% more expensive in US (Japanese version has a significant economy small car discount to taxes and fees) CR-V EX - 12% less expensive in US Insight EX - 36.7% less expensive in US Accord Hybrid EX - 41% less expensive in US (this is not apples to apples though as the Japanese Accord is the 2020 version which hasn't been released in the US yet) Clarity EX (equivalent to Touring) - 53% less expensive in US This would seem to indicate that Honda is deeply discounting US Clarities.
In Japan, the Clarity PHEV includes extras we don't get, such as fast DC charging. That accounts for some, but not all, of the price difference.
I doubt the Clarity PHEV is sold at profit and if it is then not much of one. In all likelihood the car is for compliance and knowledge building in my option. It is my belief if Honda really wants to sell plenty of Hybrids and PHEVs they would sell them in the popular compact SUV format of something like the CRV.
That would certainly be one way they could react, though I thought they may have been aiming in the direction of upgrading the Crosstour. I think Honda was completely blind-sided by the incredible hostility to the innocuous rear wheel aprons. It certainly shifted attention away from their engineering achievements.
Some of the greatest car designs in history have rear wheel spats. Citroen DS for example, considered a top 3 all-time design and is one of the handful of cars shown in MOMA.
I agree! The first car I ever owned was a used 1962 Citroen DS! I loved it! It spoiled me for every other car I drove until I got my 2018 Clarity.
I never notice the wheel covers when I am driving and also didn’t notice them when I put 6.8 gallons of gas in my car after a 340 mile road trip.
And I like them. When you see a Civic and a Clarity side by side, you can tell they are from the same styling lineage. What irks some people is that the styling is a bit unconventional. But to be honest, the Tesla Model 3- while sleek, seems increasingly dated and conventional. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Yup. And, eventually we all get used to the inelegant placements of buttons and icons. For instance,ECON-SPORT-DV as a row of undifferentiated buttons? Maybe it is me, but I think it is a chief cause of new drivers' confusion of driving modes vs. running modes.
Its confusing because the car uses each mode in a way that is not completely intuitive- not because of button placement. For example, econ mode emphasizes battery usage, laxes pedal responsiveness, yet engaging the engine is still possible if the pedal passes the click point. Hybrid mode has two options. The gas engine only engages the wheels if...And so forth. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
What kind of battle raged within the Clarity PHEV team between the engineers, "Give them buttons to select the modes!" vs the manual writers, "Those buttons will make the Owners Manual twice as thick!"?
FYI 10/28/2020. I just bought a 2021 Clarity Touring in Jacksonville, Fl. They had a base model on the lot and another Touring coming in soon. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
FWIW - there are some 2021's in Ann Arbor, Ft Wayne, and Chicago area. Another one over in Lockport, NY.
FWIW - there are two new 2020 Clarity Touring models at Fowler Honda in Norman, OK. At least 4 new Clarity's in Santa Fe, NM. So they are out there, but the pickings are slim.
We just bought a 2020 Clarity Touring in Grand Rapids, MI (Grandville) and brought it home to Illinois. Got $4000 off of MSRP too!
Just got an email about 4(!) 2021 Claritys on the lot at Brown’s Arlington Honda in VA. Wonder if I should look at trading in our 2018? Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs